Standby
by luvsanime02
Summary: Heero goes in front of the Board of Professional Review, and now she has an important decision to make. This is the fifth story in Navigation, a fem!Heero series.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Wing, and am making no money off of this fic.

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 **Standby** by luvsanime02

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Chapter 1

It's not even until the week after all of the chaos happens during Relena's last conference that Heero is finally called into Preventers Headquarters to explain her actions during her last mission. The fact that it takes so long for Internal Affairs to call her back in to explain herself does not instill confidence in Heero at their abilities to do their job impartially or effectively.

Nevertheless, Heero walks into Preventers at eight in the morning on Monday, and she almost immediately feels out of place in this building where she has spent the majority of her time for the last decade. It's unsettling, but she lets nothing of that show on her face, and merely waits through the necessary security checks since she's technically entering as a civilian today.

The idea of her as a civilian is one that fills Heero with dark amusement. She's never been anything other than what she is: a terrorist, even if she is currently considered 'reformed'. All that means is that Heero has government backing for her activities nowadays.

Heero doesn't have that sanctioning anymore, though, which she reminds herself of again when she's finally waved through and allowed to enter the building. Best not to attract too much attention to her recent activities, then. Bugging government officials and hacking into the Preventers database wouldn't be looked on kindly by the Board of Professional Review if they found out.

Keeping her eyes facing firmly in front of her, while also watching everyone out of the corner of her eyes, Heero's not impressed with what she finds out. She can see that the office gossip is still going strong, and it's definitely not in her favor. The way other agents huddle together and start talking in hushed whispers after she passes by them is much too obvious. Not to mention the snatches of their conversations she bothers to pay attention to. Words like 'reckless' and 'full of herself' follow Heero down hallways and to the specified meeting room, but she ignores them. It's nothing less than she expected.

Putting that out of her mind, Heero knocks on the door and announces her presence. She's made to wait a few minutes, even though she's arrived at precisely the arranged meeting time, and wonders if they're trying to make her sweat during the wait. Heero would be amused by the tactic if it isn't so annoying that they're attempting psychological warfare on her.

Eventually, though, she's ordered to enter, and Heero strides into the room, making a point to look each board member briefly in the eyes. The fact that they're all men, and all clearly born and raised on Earth, doesn't surprise her, but it is aggravating.

"Agent Heero Yuy, reporting for questioning regarding the events of May 5th." The man in the middle of all the others is the one who speaks, announcing her. Is she meant to respond? Probably. How tedious. They all know who she is and why she's here.

Still, she nods. "Correct."

There's a pause, and some shuffling of papers, but Heero doesn't blink. She's not going to be intimidated by them. Heero's never been intimidated by anyone, not really.

Eventually, the middle-man speaks again. She wonders if the others are only there for decoration and intimidation.

What's wrong with her? Shouldn't she be a little nervous? Shouldn't she care that these men hold the fate of her employment in their hands? Looking at them now, Heero can't feel anything but impatience and anger. She shouldn't be here, explaining her actions to these men who have never been out in the field and understand nothing about what it feels like to hold other's lives in their hands, only to lose them through no fault of their own. These men know nothing about her, or her life, no matter what documents they've read, and Heero resents that they're now allowed to judge her.

"Miss Yuy, would you explain to the board your version of events concerning the morning in question?"

Well, at least that was a clear directive. Heero nods. "My team and I were assigned a low-risk mission to enter the specified warehouse and collect proof that-"

"Low-risk? Our paperwork here lists this mission as high-risk," one of the others interrupts. Apparently, they can speak after all.

Heero doesn't say anything in response, only looks at the man in the middle, the one who asked the first question, and slowly raises an eyebrow. The man looks uncomfortable, but nods. "We can ask questions about any discrepancies after Miss Yuy gives her statement, Leroy. For now, let's hear the rest."

The man who interrupted now looks suitably chastised so Heero continues, keeping her voice level and calm, no matter how much she wants to grit and bare her teeth at them. Likely, it wouldn't help her case any. "We were ordered to collect proof of the gang's illicit cargo, and leave after placing surveillance and taking some samples, if we judged that we could achieve this without leaving any evidence behind of our tampering."

She doesn't say that of course any team Heero leads would never be so amateur as to leave traces of tampering. It's irrelevant in this case. "We were at the location less than ten minutes before members of the relevant gang entered the building. They opened fire, with one immediate casualty on our side, Agent Sheffer. Agent Miller tried to draw their attention to save the rest of us, and was shot down, with Agent Killian dying while trying to take cover. Agent Parks was injured severely, and myself less-so. The remaining members of our team split from us while taking cover, since we were already fanned out looking for the evidence."

Here, she has to pause, to take a breath before continuing. "Although Agent Parks and I searched for the others, in order for those of us still alive to safely retreat together, Agents Dochart and Preston were already dead when we found them. Agent Parks and I managed to retreat on our own. We took a cab to the hospital, as Agent Parks was losing a significant amount of blood. While he was in surgery, Agent Po entered the hospital and took my statement."

Heero doesn't add anything else. There's nothing more to say.

The board doesn't agree, of course. They wait and let the ensuing silence ring, and then a third board member clears his throat. "This mission sounds high-risk to me," he says. Heero hates his soft, smooth voice after the first syllable. She knows men like him. They're the rats of the bunch. "Perhaps now we can address Mr. Fisser's concern?"

That must be Leroy, since he nods. Heero forces herself not to clench her hands into fists. They should already know the answer to his earlier question. She doesn't understand why the board is wasting her time and theirs by asking. "As Agent Po, who assigned my team this mission in the first place, can tell you, it was listed as low-risk before the events of that morning." She doesn't mention why the paperwork they initially received doesn't reflect this.

"That's some list of casualties for a low-risk mission," another board member states. 'You're lying' is what he doesn't say, but it's there in his voice.

Heero remains outwardly calm. Inside is another matter entirely. She's fast encroaching furious. "The mission was prioritized as low-risk because no members of the targeted gang were supposed to be at that warehouse." She still wants to know why they were present, what happened there. "Intelligence had previously uncovered an important meeting between them and a neighboring gang, and judged that the warehouse would be clear."

"I see." That's the man in the middle again. "Thank you for giving us your explanation of that discrepancy, Miss Yuy."

Heero really hates how he refuses to refer to her as an agent. Sure, she's technically suspended from duty right now, but it would still be a professional courtesy to refer to her as an agent of the Preventers Corps. She waits for their next question.

"You say," the last board member speaks up, "that three of the agents under your command were shot and killed shortly after you were all discovered in that warehouse. Specifically, you mentioned that Agent… Miller tried to draw attention away from everyone else in what I'm sure was a heroic effort to save his fellow agents' lives. Why-"

"Agent Miller," Heero interrupts, "was a woman. She took four shots to the chest and one to the head trying to shield her teammates."

Heero shouldn't have interrupted, but she can't bring herself to regret it. Not even when one of the other men speaks up and scolds her for it. She's seething at how casually the man mentioned Agent Miller's sacrifice, and how he clearly had to pause and look up her name on the papers in front of face, and didn't even bother to sound respectful or look up her service record too.

"Yes, well," the man continues hastily, once Heero's been scolded not to speak out of turn as though she's a small child, "my question is, why was Agent Miller the one who was forced to sacrifice her life for the rest of her team? You were the agent in charge on that mission, Miss Yuy. Should not that burden have fallen to you?"

They'd have liked that, wouldn't they.

Heero shakes her head. "Agent Miller was closest to the intruders after Agent Sheffer fell. I was positioned further away, and not where I could draw their attention to only myself."

Heero hates how they make it sound like Agent Miller didn't fully and knowingly choose to give up her life in order to defend her team. She wasn't 'forced' any more than anyone else was in their actions after their team was discovered.

"I see." The man taps his pen against the paperwork in front of him, but doesn't seem inclined to continue the line of questioning. Heero hopes that he's still feeling some shame in mis-gendering Agent Miller, but rather doubts it.

She hasn't been offered a seat in all this time, but Heero doesn't care in the slightest. She's fully ready to tear these board members apart in any way that she can, and she rather thinks they can see something of her conviction in her gaze because suddenly none of them will meet her eyes. She's both oddly satisfied and contemptuous of that.

The man in the middle clears his throat. "Miss Yuy, you claim that you and Agent Parks were both injured during the initial mêlée. Can you tell us how this affected your ability to move about and search for the rest of your team?"

Is Heero now being brought to task for daring to get injured right after they asked her why she dared not to die during the initial shooting? The hypocrisy is infuriating. "My wound was to my arm, and did not affect my movements," she explains. "However, Agent Parks suffered a from partially lacerated femoral artery, and my first priority was to ensure he would not bleed out before we could retreat. Once his wound was seen to as well as I was able to under the circumstances, I supported him as we moved through the warehouse."

There's some frantic pen scratching at that, and Heero doesn't even want to know why. She can't be blamed for taking care of an agent's injuries, especially one that would have been fatal without intervention.

There's another hour of questioning, of going through the same events over and over. Heero's been on witness stands before, and it's less exhausting and aggravating than this. Hell, she's been shot and blown up during a war, and it was still less annoying than repeatedly giving the same answers to the same questions like this. When the board finally does run out of questions to spare, they make her stand still while they have a short recess for themselves, and then when they return they insist on recapping the whole interview once again.

Heero thinks that she should get an award for not telling them all to go fuck themselves, really.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Heero's ready to punch someone by the time the board finally lets her leave the room. Sally Po and Agent Parks are outside, awaiting their turns to be questioned. Heero wants to reassure them both that she's fine, but Sally at least won't be fooled for a second. Heero doesn't think that Parks would be, either. Her shoulders are still tight with anger, and the scowl on her face must be something fierce. She practically stomps over to them.

Sally winces, while Agent Parks looks at Heero sympathetically. "That bad, huh?" Sally asks.

Heero forces herself to take a slow, deep breath, trying to let go of her anger. "That bad," she confirms.

Agent Parks sort of slumps against the wall at this confirmation. Heero's not worried about him, though. He's had a week to heal, and while he's obviously not back to his full strength yet, Parks looks well on his way. Besides, she thinks that Agent Parks is made of sterner stuff than that bunch of bureaucrats behind the door.

Heero can't tell him the questioning is nothing to worry about, though, since even she's mentally exhausted right now.

"Agent Yuy," Parks says after a moment, straightening up from the wall, "I want to thank you for saving my life." He smiles. "Hell, my wife wants to hold a parade in your honor, I think."

Sally chuckles, but Heero shifts, uncomfortable. All she did was her job. Still, she understands being grateful to someone who saves your ass when you really need it, so Heero nods at him in acknowledgement. "You're welcome."

Heero doesn't know if Agent Parks wants to say anything else, because he's called in front of the board before it becomes an issue. "Tell them to get you a chair if you need one," she advises just before he opens the door. "Medically, you have a reason to ask."

He shrugs. "Should be fine, but we'll see. Maybe I'll ask for one anyways just to annoy them."

Heero knew he'd be fine. With that last comment, he walks inside. Sally barely waits until the door closes behind him before she grimaces and gestures silently down the hallway. Heero's brows furrow as she follows. "I wondered why you were here so early," she says to the older woman. "Your own interview can't be scheduled for this soon after mine."

"Actually," Sally responds, her voice very wry, "mine was officially supposed to start ten minutes ago. I knew they'd be way behind, though, you're right. I came early to talk with you."

They stop just a little ways down the hall. Technically, Agent Parks' interview could be over at any minute, though Heero doubts it. Either way, Sally should at least appear to be available at a moment's notice to give them her testimony. Heero and Sally lean against opposite walls so that they both have a clear line of sight down the hallway. "What's wrong, Sally?"

The older woman pinches the bridge of her nose between two fingers. "You're not going to believe this," she says. That's not a good start to the conversation. "There have been some rumors going around about you."

Heero snorts. "Of course there are," she agrees. She even heard some of them as she was coming into the building.

But Sally shakes her head. "No, not that." She chews briefly on her lip. "There's rumors about you… and Agent Parks."

Maybe it's her hesitation in the middle of the sentence, but Heero doesn't even have to ask Sally for further clarification before she understands. And Heero thought she was angry before. It's nothing compared to how pissed off she's becoming now. "That's ridiculous," Heero says, snorting in contempt.

Leaving out that Heero would never fraternize with another agent, Parks is happily married. The man has pictures of his kids displayed in his office. Heero's disgusted that others would actually believe that the man would cheat on his wife.

"It's because he's the only other witness," Heero says. It's not a question.

Sally sighs heavily. "Yes," she agrees. "They can't discredit his actions, since he was obviously wounded, so they're undermining his reputation. Also, if the board believes that you two are sleeping together, then they'll think you collaborated together on your story."

"This is so stupid," Heero says, grinding her teeth together out of sheer frustration. "This whole mission has been one fuck-up after another."

Sally folds her arms across her chest. She looks about as happy about all of this as Heero is. "Tell me about it."

Heero feels guilty, even though she knows it's not her fault that some of the other agents are spreading rumors about her and Parks. Then suddenly something from earlier clicks in her mind, and Heero groans out loud. "That's what they liked earlier." At Sally's questioning look, Heero explains. "I told the board that Agent Parks and I were alone together when everyone split up, and that I prioritized seeing to his wound before continuing to search for the others."

Scowling herself now, Sally says, "And of course that's the logical response in that situation, but the board might not see it that way."

"If I ever find out who started this investigation, they're going to regret it," Heero vows. It's especially aggravating to her that she can't track down someone who didn't leave a trail, whether paper or electronic. Heero could find out who it was if she was allowed to interrogate every officer in Preventers, but she already knows how well that suggestion would go down with Internal Affairs. Besides, the damage has already been done.

Heero bets that Agent Parks' wife won't want to thank her anymore once the woman hears about these rumors. Heero's just so annoyed by all of this. Not shocked, not really, but genuinely hurt. Heero's an exemplary agent, probably the best. She'd never have sex with a coworker, and use that as a way to cheat an inquiry. Especially not a married coworker. Do the other agents she works with on a daily basis really think that Heero would do something like this?

Apparently, yes. That knowledge is a sour aftertaste in the back of her throat. Heero's never looked at being a woman as a detriment while working for Preventers, especially since the whole organization was founded by Une, Sally, and Noin - three of the toughest women Heero knows. And yet, Heero's sure this sort of rumor wouldn't have started up in the first place if she wasn't a woman.

"I'd tell you that threatening another agent is against Preventers policy, but I guess that's not an issue for you right now," Sally says. They share a small smile, even though nothing's really funny at the moment. "I know this sucks, Heero, but hang in there. No one who actually knows you is going to believe those rumors."

The problem is that not a lot of people know Heero personally. Still, Sally's right. Once the board has heard everyone's statements, it shouldn't take them too long to come to a decision. Either way, at least Heero shouldn't have to see the inside of this building again until then.

She sighs. "I'm leaving," Heero announces. There's really no point in her staying here any longer.

"Oh," Sally says, "Une mentioned wanting to see you after you were done, actually."

Heero just wants to leave the building, go to the gym, and pound on something for a while. Maybe just go for a really long run. Instead, she nods goodbye to Sally and makes for the elevator that goes up to Une's office. Although Heero's certainly not expecting good news, what with the way her last couple of weeks has turned out, she's still curious what Une wants to see her about after Heero has just left her appointment with the Board of Professional Review.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

-Agent Frank Parks Interlude-

When Frank enters the room, he's surprised that every member of the board nods politely at him in greeting, most of them smiling genially. Given the way that Agent Yuy stormed out of the room earlier, he wasn't expecting such a warm welcome. Frank's not about to complain, though, and simply nods back.

"Agent Frank Parks?" one of them asks. Frank nods again in recognition. The man continues, further announcing his presence. "Here to give testimony concerning the unfortunate events that took place on the morning of May 5th. Welcome, Agent Parks. I'm sorry that we have to pull you away from your duties for this investigation."

Frank shakes his head. "No, not at all," he says, even though all he really wants is to point out how unnecessary he considers this whole investigation. He's willing to act friendly if they are. It's something of a relief, if a bit puzzling.

The man sitting in the center of them all clears his throat. "Yes, well, as much as we'd rather this wasn't necessary, can you please tell the board what you experienced that morning?"

Frank straightens up as much as he can on his leg right now, hiding a wince. He gives a brief overview of the events, trying to be as succinct as possible while also still highlighting his declining condition and how Agent Yuy saved his life.

He knows the board has already heard the rumors about himself and Agent Yuy; they'd have to be completely sequestered inside a soundless box to not have come across the latest office gossip. And while Frank knows that the rumors are completely baseless, he can't prove that to anyone. Which sucks, because he's been hearing not-at-all-subtle remarks all week.

Sure, most of them have been encouraging, but in a way, Frank thinks that's worse. Those same agents know that Frank's happily married. Hell, some of them have even met Annie. And they still seem to approve of him cheating on his wife, just because it's an attractive woman that he's supposedly having sex with. Honestly, Frank's sickened by the whole thing.

When his brief report of the mission is over, the members of the board are quiet for a few minutes. Some of them seem to be writing down notes, but the others are sitting back, sipping at water or talking quietly with each other. They all seem completely at ease with this inquiry, which Frank doesn't think is the appropriate mood to present during this investigation.

"So," another of them says, leaning forward and finally acknowledging him again, "Agent Parks, you mentioned being very lightheaded and woozy when you and Miss Yuy came upon the gang member that almost spotted you."

He pauses, and Frank realizes after a minute of silence that he's supposed to respond, even though the man hadn't phrased his statement as a question. "That's right," Frank says. He feels like he's on a witness stand.

The man nods. "Are you sure that Miss Yuy's use of non-lethal force was the appropriate measure to take during that situation? You said that she took several minutes to subdue the man, during which you were completely open to any attack that might have come from another direction. This was also time which could have been used to search for the remaining two members of your team before they were killed in the line of duty."

Frank really dislikes the way they're purposely not referring to Agent Yuy by her rank. "Agent Yuy's method of subduing the criminal," he explains, "was the only way we could get past the man without being discovered. She chose to use a non-lethal sleeper hold to put the man into unconsciousness because it was the quietest method available to her at the time."

He takes a breath, and then continues. "Agent Yuy could have held the man in her hold for longer, until he lost enough oxygen to his brain to definitely kill him, but that would have taken several more minutes. Instead, she prioritized simply getting him out of the way, and then continued on while supporting me to find the rest of her team."

While Frank doesn't really know if that's the true reason why Agent Yuy didn't kill the man, since she apparently had on her person other methods of killing someone quietly and he's also positive that she's strong enough to snap a man's neck with the right leverage, he's not going to point all that out to the board members. Whatever her reasons, Frank knows that Agent Yuy didn't choose the method that she did as a way to stall on locating the rest of her team.

The man who asked that question doesn't look pleased with Frank's answer, but sits back. Frank decides that these men don't really deserve him being so polite after all, and so he shuffles his feet like he's redistributing his weight awkwardly and then clears his throat. "Could I get a chair in here?" he asks pointedly. "Medically, I'm not supposed to be resting my weight on my leg for very long."

That doesn't make them happy at all, but one of the men gets up and walks out through another door opposite the one Frank came through. What then follows is a few very awkward minutes of silence. Frank supposes he should be grateful that they're willing to wait until he's 'comfortable' before continuing the questioning, but on the other hand, he wishes that they'd just get on with it so he can be done quicker.

The man who left reappears a few minutes later with a folding chair and walks it over to Frank, looking very put-out the whole time. Frank takes it from him with an uncomfortable smile and sits down slowly. It's really not all that comfy, of course, but his leg is relieved at the lessened strain, and he ends up sighing silently.

Once the man who retrieved the chair sits back down (it now occurs to Frank that maybe the rest of them had waited because they're legally not allowed to question him without all members of the board being present), they continue.

"Agent Parks, would you please tell the board your impression of Miss Yuy?"

Frank frowns. "I'm not sure I understand the question," he says cautiously. "My impression of Agent Yuy in regards to what?" Are they talking about this case specifically, or Agent Yuy's service record, or what? Surely they're not actually trying to ask about those stupid rumors?

The man seated in the middle of the table clarifies. "My colleague meant Miss Yuy's abilities in the field, and her tendency to disregard protocol."

The man smiles like what he's said is amusing, a shared joke between the two of them. Frank is not smiling back this time. If anything, his frown deepens. "I've never heard of a single case where Agent Yuy disregarded protocol, or did anything in the field that wasn't what she should have done. This was my first assignment working with her, but Agent Yuy is infamous among Preventers for being one of the best agents we have to offer." If not the best, period. "During this specific mission, I'd say that she acted with clear judgment in a stressful situation."

Agent Yuy had acted as though she was still in the middle of a war, actually. Calm and calculating, and completely capable of getting both of them out of there alive. It'd been damn reassuring at the time, and now Frank is even more in awe of her than he'd been before. She's definitely the best. And too damn good to be forced through this farce.

One of the men taps his pen against the papers in front of him impatiently. "She's also the top agent in terms of teammate casualties while conducting fieldwork. Surely that sort of reputation precedes itself as well."

That takes Frank off-guard for a moment, but then he quickly regroups. "Well, that makes sense," he agrees. One of the board men opens his mouth, looking triumphant, and Frank quickly goes on before he can say something irritating. "After all, Agent Yuy is, as I said, one of the top agents at Preventers. She's often involved in high-risk missions, especially those where we're expecting armed opposition. Unfortunately, those missions carry an increased risk of fatalities. Agent Yuy's also been an agent of Preventers for a lot longer than most of us," he adds, determined to make his point.

Apparently, it's been made. There's no more smiling now, and oddly, Frank feels himself relaxing a little at their stern looks. This is much better than them playing nice with him, trying to get dirt on Agent Yuy. He's not going to play their game, and he's glad that they've finally figured that out.

"Well," one of them says eventually, his voice soft and quiet, "I suppose we should expect such spirited support, since you and Miss Yuy seem so close."

Okay, now that is going too far. Frank snorts, ignoring the scandalized looks he gets in response at his lack of professionalism. "Agent Yuy and I have spent less than 24 hours in each other's company," he says plainly. "Before that morning, I'd only known her through her reputation. All I can discuss is what happened on May 5th, and say that Agent Yuy deserves every bit of praise my wife's been dying to heap on her ever since I told Annie who saved my life."

There, maybe that will make his feelings on the matter clearer. It seems to, because after a few more seconds of shuffling papers around, they start on another avenue of questioning. After asking a few more routine clarifications, Frank's released. He doesn't bother saying anything else, just gets to his feet and walks out.

It's not a good way to start off his morning, especially knowing that Preventers gossip will still be waiting for him when Frank returns to his office. What a damn mess.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Agent Kowoski barely looks up when Heero walks into the outer office, and waves her quickly through into Une's domain while speaking on the phone to someone. That's just fine with Heero. She's not really in the mood to chat with anyone, not that Agent Kowoski is the type to ignore work for gossip anyway. He wouldn't be Une's secretary if he was prone to spreading rumors to other agents instead of doing his job.

Heero knocks on the door lightly, but doesn't bother waiting before she walks in. Une's scowling down at her paperwork, which is common enough that it doesn't bother Heero. The woman glances up and gives Heero a sharp look-over, no doubt cataloging her stress and anger, and then leans back in her chair and sighs.

"Come on in, Heero." Une stands up and walks over to a side desk to pour some coffee from a carafe, and hands the mug over to Heero as she sits down in one of Une's comfy guest chairs.

"Thanks," she says. Une's coffee is actually the best in the entire headquarters, including the coffee people leave the building to buy, even though there's no machine in her room. Heero's almost positive that there's a secret room within the walls, and that it houses an excellent coffee machine, amongst other goods.

Heero could probably find out where the room is if she put some effort into searching, but instead she decided years ago to respect Une's privacy, and actively tries not to discover the false wall.

Une smiles a little. "You look like you could use it." Meaning the coffee. She's not wrong. "How was the interview?"

Likely, Une already knows how it went just from Heero's expression. She takes a moment to sip some of the coffee, enjoying the flavor, before responding. "Insulting," Heero says. Really, she can't think of any other word to more accurately sum up the whole experience.

After getting her own cup of coffee, Une sits down next to Heero, instead of in her own chair across the desk. For a few minutes, they enjoy the quiet. Finally, Une looks over at her with sympathy. "I figured. My own appointment was last week. They did everything but call me an incompetent figurehead to my face."

Heero grunts. She's not surprised. "Have you heard the new rumors?" she asks. She's never sure how current Une's information is, since she rarely ever walks out onto the floors where most of the agents work and talk.

With her own noise of irritation, Une nods. "Sally told me. They're disgusting."

Heero agrees. "They're also remarkably effective." A couple of the looks she received when walking into Preventers, plus the attitude of the board, makes a lot more sense when taking those rumors into account.

"Of course they are," Une says. "A woman always uses sex to get noticed at her job, didn't you know?" As Treize Khushrenada's right-hand woman, Heero has no doubt that Une's been the subject of quite a lot of gossip in the past. Her current position as Head of Preventers wouldn't help quell those rumors any, either. Heero suddenly realizes that the woman sitting beside her must have been dealing with these kinds of malicious and undermining rumors for years. The fact that Une's never lowered herself to responding in any way is just another reason to respect her, in Heero's opinion.

Heero leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees and cradling the cup of coffee between her hands. "What did you want to talk about?" she asks, getting to the point.

Une sighs again. "Have you ever thought about relocating to a different office?"

She means in the colonies, Heero knows. Heero nods. "Once or twice. I just assumed that I was needed here more, and I like being close by to visit Relena whenever I want to."

"You're still needed here more," Une growls, "but Internal Affairs has hinted that they might consider relocation the best possible outcome."

Heero thinks about this information silently for a minute. "They just want to ignore me, then." That kind of attitude shouldn't hurt her, but it does.

"Pretty much," Une agrees. "I don't know what to do, Heero. I do know you'd be missed greatly, by myself and others, if you went back into space. But I want you to think about what's best for you. With these rumors… You might not be accepted back here, whatever Internal Affairs decides. Not by your fellow agents."

Blunt, but accurate. "It feels like running away," Heero admits. "I don't want whoever started them to think I've been scared away."

Une snorts. "No one who's ever met you, even in passing, would think you'd be scared of some silly gossip. But it's not fair to you, being forced in the future to work with agents who won't fully trust you anymore."

Heero sighs. That's one consequence she's wary of. "Yeah."

"I won't force you to move," Une announces. "I know that you go only where you want to, Heero. You always have," she comments ruefully. "Still, keep relocation in mind as an option."

Heero nods. "I understand." And she does. This is Une's bid for Heero to consider starting over at another office in the colonies, to build new working relationships with other agents. It'd be a new start, Heero supposes, but it also makes her very tired just to think about starting all over somewhere again.

Once she's said her piece, Une gets up and walks back around to the other side of her desk, looking annoyed at all of the paperwork still covering its surface. "Just be safe, Heero," is Une's parting response, before she sits back down.

"I'll try," Heero says, because that's as truthful as she can be, before she finishes her coffee and lets herself back out of the office.

Great. It's looking less and less like Heero will ever be able to enjoy working here again. That's really not fair, but she's used to unfairness by now. As Heero leaves, she pays extra attention to who's talking about her, and who specifically apparently believes the new rumors. She's hurt and angered by how many of her fellow agents are smirking and nudging each other as she walks by, pretending not to pay attention to them. Heero does turn to glare at the unfortunate agent who is stupid enough to wolf whistle as she's leaving. If they were in the gym, she'd dislocate something of his just on principle. As it is, her look is caustic enough to make him blanch and backtrack a couple of feet, and Heero has to be content with that.

As she makes her way through the building, Heero estimates that approximately two-thirds of the agents in the building either don't believe the rumors or don't care, but that still leaves about one-third of the people she works with thinking such awful things about her.

This knowledge is not pleasant.

Nothing about her situation is. Heero finally leaves the building, well aware that something within her is already saying farewell to this part of her life. She feels an ache deep inside, but also a sense of inevitability, like her life's been leading up to her impending decision for a long time now. She doesn't know what her future holds, but Heero's positive that it's not working in this same building, with these same people, any longer.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sitting in front of her laptop later, Heero spends some time going over the financial records of a few of the agents she heard talking about her earlier. Not the ones that were acting shocked or otherwise scandalized. Those people either believe the rumors or just love gossip, and Heero's not interested in them.

No, her current list is four individuals she heard spreading those rumors, but who didn't seem interested in the gossip angle. Heero wants to know why they're talking about her if it's not to share some new scandal with their fellow agents. After all, someone who helped to start the rumors about Heero would know they weren't true, and probably not find them all that interesting, but they'd certainly be spreading the rumors around to as many people as possible.

Unfortunately, Heero's already looked extensively through the backgrounds and financial records of three agents so far and found nothing. She doesn't hold out much hope of number four paying off, either, but she'd feel stupid if she didn't even look into someone so suspicious, just in case.

Before she continues, though, Heero forces herself to take a break. This is nothing urgent, and she's learned through the years to prioritize and relax when she can. Instead, Heero goes for that run she was thinking of earlier, not consciously paying attention to anyone that she passes on the way, except for keeping up a situational awareness of her surroundings as a habit that she'll never stop doing.

Nothing interesting happens on her run. The sky looks a little grey, but luckily, there's no rain. She needs to talk to someone else about her options, Heero thinks idly, and wonders who. Still, there's time. Even if Heero is fired tomorrow, which she thinks is probably an unlikely outcome of the investigation, she has money saved up. Or she could always 'find' more somewhere, if she ever did run out.

No, the problem is that Heero's not sure which option available to her is more preferable right now. What does she want to do? She's been waiting for Internal Affairs to come to their decision, but Heero's not a patient person, and she's not the type to wait around for long. And why should she let them decide her life, anyway? That's what whoever started this whole mess expects of Heero, she assumes, that she'll just quietly go along with everything and let her life be decided for her. Another reason not to wait around.

Whatever she decides, though, there are pros and cons to consider. Well, that's true of any situation, now that she's considering everything carefully. If she can't stay at her job any longer, if being a field agent at Preventers headquarters is no longer an option, then what does Heero want to do instead?

Une's offer of relocating could be interesting. Heero does love space, misses it whenever she's earthbound, and wouldn't mind going back. Also, it's not like Relena's tied down to her old schedule of endless and pointless meetings as part of Earth's ESUN parliament anymore. Heero's friend is free to visit her whenever they both want, so Heero relocating isn't as much of an inconvenient issue anymore.

Giving up on ten years' worth of seniority at this Preventers location would be difficult, however. She wonders how Wufei managed it, when he transferred to an office division in the L4 cluster three years ago. Then again, he transferred so that he could become Divisional Head of that office. He certainly wasn't taking a step back from anything.

Heero still feels like, if she transfers, she'll be running away. That doesn't sit well with her. She can't stand the thought.

Maybe she should contact Wufei, though. That's an idea. Tell him about the situation and ask him what he'd do. Wufei would probably be the first person to admit that he can be just as proud as she can, if not more so.

When Heero gets back to her apartment, she showers, and then forces herself to grill some chicken, cutting it up into strips and tossing a quick salad together. She's come to the annoying conclusion that she's going to have to go out shopping for food yet again. Making three meals every day, instead of the one, or maybe two, that she's used to, means that Heero's going through her food at a much faster rate than she's used to. It's just one more annoying aspect of her suspension, along with the boredom. Even hanging out with Relena so often these last two weeks, as much as Heero appreciates her company, isn't really enough to distract Heero from the way her mind feels like it's slowly turning to mush without any active cases to work on.

Heero's very close to breaking into the Preventers database again and going through their cold case files just to see if she can investigate and solve any of them. She doesn't need Sally in the room with her in order to picture the older woman's disapproving look if she found out.

It's still tempting.

Instead, Heero eats lunch and then checks her running programs to see if they've uncovered anything interesting. She's pretty sure one of the agents, McKinnon, is stealing some of the drugs locked up in their narcotic division and re-selling them, which Heero does intend to inform Une about, but still, there doesn't seem to be any overt connections to Heero's professional inquiry.

None of the four of them have any political connections, Heero's sure. She looked for those before she even checked through their finances. Their family trees have also been researched thoroughly, but there's nothing. It was a long shot, but it's still frustrating when she doesn't find anything that she can actually use.

Whoever changed the records of the mission details and started those rumors, Heero's almost positive now that they're not paying anyone off. Or being paid themselves. If there's no major political connection, and no money being exchanged, there's really no way for her to track them down.

Heero wonders if it's someone who was on a previous mission with her, someone who was a lucky survivor on a mission gone wrong, and wants to get revenge on her now? Except that doesn't make sense to her, not really. Heero knows that she's had her share of bad missions, and then some, but she also knows that the number of people who have survived them along with her is a small percentage, sadly, and she doubts that any of them blame her for their fellow agents dying on those missions. After all, if they did have a major problem with her, they could have just initiated an investigation into her actions for that specific mission, not this more recent one that has nothing to do with them.

Heero's even going so far as to pry into the backgrounds of the agents who died during her most recent mission, wondering if perhaps a civilian significant other or family member has been in contact with someone who could arrange for Heero to be investigated out of spite. That doesn't pan out, either. Besides, she was at the funerals, and no one at them showed her anything but genuine sympathy.

No, the more she delves into the investigation against her, the more Heero has to admit that this doesn't seem like anything more than someone taking advantage of an opportunity that presented itself. Someone who wants her job instead? Could be. Too bad there are probably so many agents who fit that description that she'd need months to narrow her suspects down more than that.

Once again, it comes down to there being no trail for her to follow, and Heero eventually leans back in disgust, feeling frustrated all over again. She wishes that whoever it was wanted her dead or something. At least then there'd be an attempt on her life and she could deal with it, and then it'd all be over.

This? Isn't going to be over anytime soon. This is going to have long-reaching consequences that she can't change or control.

Heero sends off a quick email to Wufei requesting to meet up for a vid call, and then she shuts her laptop before she lets her frustrations get the better of her and starts doing something truly reckless. That done, Heero brings her dishes to the sink and contemplates once again that she really does need an actual hobby.

There's nothing for her to do. Well, then Heero will have to find something. She's sick of feeling so damn helpless and bored. Obviously, it's past time for her to do something about that. With a nostalgic feeling, Heero puts her shoes back on and leaves her apartment, planning to walk around until something captures her interest.

Heero's determined not to let whoever started this get the better of her, and that means she needs to stop moping around and actually figure out what she wants to do with her life now. She'll discover something, she knows. Heero's had worse missions, and this is one that she's not about to fail.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Hello, Heero."

She didn't even realize just how much she wanted to see another one of the ex-Gundam pilots' faces until Wufei looks back at her through the vid connection. She smiles, and inclines her head in greeting. "Wufei."

He peers intently at her face, no doubt searching for clues about her health, and especially about how well she's been sleeping lately. Heero raises an eyebrow to let him know that she notices the scrutiny, and shakes her head fondly. "I'm doing fine," she assures him.

What she means is that she's been sleeping fine. Wufei nods and sits back in his chair, understanding. He looks much more tired than she does, actually, and Heero turns her own piercing look on him in return.

He smiles at her, rueful. "I'm in the middle of an investigation," he admits.

While she wasn't sure before, now Heero knows. "You're still at work." It's almost midnight where Wufei is, and he's still in his Preventers uniform, though he's loosened the tie and rolled up his shirtsleeves. The wall behind him is the same color as the walls in every Preventers building Heero's ever visited.

"Like you don't work long hours during an active investigation," he mutters. Heero mentally braces herself, anticipating that the reminder of her current suspension will hurt, but surprisingly, all she feels is humor at the quip. After all, Wufei's right.

Heero shrugs, agreeing. "Are you sure you have the time right now?" She doesn't think that Wufei would have agreed to talk with her if he knew that he'd be busy, but then again, his mission could have come up unexpectedly. "We can reschedule."

Wufei actually rolls his eyes at her, which surprises Heero. "It's fine. I'm just crap at delegating."

The admission startles a chuckle out of her, which judging by Wufei's smirk, was the whole point. "Alright. Do you want help with your investigation?" she asks.

The look Wufei gives her after she offers speaks volumes. "You're bored out of your mind, aren't you."

She really is becoming too predictable. That wasn't even an actual question. "Is that a no to my offer?" Heero asks, rather than confirm his suspicions.

Wufei sighs, and it honestly sounds a touch regretful. "Yes, that's a no, Heero. Don't get me wrong, I'd let you help, but there's nothing except surveillance and recon to do right now, and you're kind of far away."

Heero nods, resigned. "Maybe I won't be so far away for much longer," she says. Not the most subtle way to initiate the topic she wants to discuss with Wufei, but it'll do.

Wufei's eyebrows rise up his forehead in surprise for a few long seconds before they lower again. "You're relocating?"

He doesn't sound approving or not of the idea yet, only neutral. Heero frowns slightly. "It might be the better option over remaining around here. Une mentioned it."

Une's opinion as Head of Preventers holds more weight than anyone else's, and Wufei knows that. He blows out a loud breath, and then reaches up to rub along the bridge of his nose, edging his glasses up and out of the way in the process, before pulling them back down into place before he opens his eyes again. "What do you think about that?"

What does Heero think? "I'm not sure," she admits.

Wufei shakes his head. "No, not about staying. Not about the consequences of sticking around, Heero. What do you really think about leaving?"

She lets Wufei's question sit between them for a minute, then reluctantly admits, "Like I'm running away."

He nods. "That's how I'd feel, too," he says. "You chose to work at the main headquarters for several reasons, instead of at an office colony-side. That was your decision."

Heero understands what he's getting at, and agrees. "If I relocate, it won't be because I want to, but because I think it's the easier resolution."

"It's not something you would have chosen to do without that ridiculous investigation happening first," he agrees. Hearing Wufei call the investigation of her actions 'ridiculous' makes something relax inside of Heero. She's grateful to hear that one of the very few people who she considers a peer also thinks this whole inquiry is beyond absurd.

"No, it's not," she agrees quietly. "Still, I'm not staying here. I've already decided." It's the first time she's mentioned the decision out loud. Not even Sally or Une have heard this from her yet.

Wufei doesn't look surprised. "I would have left already, and to hell with Internal Affairs," he admits without an ounce of shame.

Heero smirks as she imagines Wufei's reaction to being questioned by the Board of Professional Review. The image is almost funny enough for her to file an investigation against him just to arrange the meeting.

Heero really is too bored. "What would you do, then, if you were me?" She's interested in his answer because Wufei's been in Preventers even longer than she has.

Wufei takes a minute or two to think her question over in silence, swiveling his chair away slightly and staring blankly off to the side. Heero forces herself to wait quietly, and tries to not stare too demandingly at him. She did ask knowing that Wufei would need to think it over before answering her question. "Start up an office on Mars," he finally says in answer.

That's really more specific than she'd been expecting. Heero stares, honestly surprised. "Mars? Did Une talk to you about that before?"

Wufei chuckles, likely at her reaction. "Noin, actually. She asked me to years ago, and then Une offered me this office instead."

Heero hadn't known that, but Wufei's abrupt departure to L4 makes a lot more sense now. "Why didn't you accept Noin's offer?" she asks, curious.

Wufei grimaces. "I hate traveling for long periods of time without a break."

Despite her disbelieving look, Heero can tell that he's being honest, which is just hilarious. She'd never known that about him either. Heero loves traveling, and has never considered before that the long journey to Mars might be that much of a deterrent for anyone else.

"Well, Mars isn't an option for me," is all that Heero says in response, though. There's no way that she and Zechs could handle living so near to each other on a permanent basis.

Wufei snorts. "No, I think not," he agrees wryly. Wufei pauses then, like he's hesitant to continue, before obviously deciding to go ahead and just say what's on his mind. "You know, you could quit."

Heero stills, but then nods. "I could," she agrees. "It doesn't sound appealing, though."

"Because you're already so bored when you're not going to work every day, or because you still love your job that much?" Wufei asks sharply.

Heero hears the underlying question in there. Are you afraid of going insane from having nothing to do, or do you still want to continue as a Preventers agent, no matter what? It's a good question, and Heero hasn't really considered her hesitance in those terms before until Wufei points it out to her.

She's about to admit that she still doesn't know for sure yet when a phone rings on Wufei's end. He glances at it, frowns, and then picks up quickly. "Chang."

The investigation he's working on right now, Heero assumes. She watches Wufei's face get more and more exasperated the longer he listens, and already knows what he's going to say when he finally looks her way again. "I have to go, Heero. I apologize."

Heero shakes her head. "It's fine. You gave me a lot to think about."

"I'm happy to hear it," Wufei says, his voice warm. "Let's talk again soon."

Unlike most people, Heero knows Wufei means that. "Sure, I'll contact you."

When she signs off, Heero leans back and sighs. Wufei did give her a lot to think about. Does Heero actually still want to be a Preventers agent? If she ignores the idea of Internal Affairs trying to decide her life for her, and her dread of continual boredom, would Heero still choose to stay at her job after everything that's happened?

It's not like her being involved in Preventers seems all that necessary anymore. The political state of the Earth Sphere isn't what it used to be when Heero first joined up. Back then, it had seemed like any wrong move on anyone's part would be enough to spark yet another war. Things are not necessarily better now, but they are less precarious.

So, is Heero only staying with Preventers now because she's afraid that she won't be able to figure out something new to do with her life? That's just pathetic. Obviously, Wufei agrees.

Well, Heero wanted to know Wufei's opinion. Now she just has to decide what to do with it.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A few days later, Heero's once again waiting outside the conference room that the Board of Professional Review uses when they interview agents. This time, she's not here to be questioned, but to finally be informed of their decision.

She doesn't even care anymore what they have to say. Heero's moved right past feeling anger, and is now apathetic. Whatever the board decides, Heero isn't going to hinge all of her life plans on the outcome of today's meeting.

Not that she knows yet for sure what she wants to do. She's still thinking about it. But Heero knows that her decision isn't going to depend on theirs. It's a relief to determine that no one else but Heero is going to have any control over her life from now on.

Like before, the board leaves her waiting outside, but Heero merely leans against the wall and folds her arms across her chest, ignoring the slight twinge from her still-healing wound. It barely hurts anymore unless she extends her arm without being careful.

She impatiently waits, wondering how long this is going to take. Hopefully, not as long as the questioning did. When they finally deign to let her enter the room, Heero walks in and gazes levelly at all of them. She stops and stands in the center of the room, and idly wonders if she looks as bored to them as she actually feels.

One of them clears his throat officiously. Then he says, "Miss Yuy is here to listen to the board's decision concerning her actions on May 5th."

Heero struggles not to roll her eyes. It's like standing in the middle of a courtroom to hear the judge's sentence, only without the threat of being arrested. In other words, pompous and stuffy.

When she remains silent, there's some more clearing of throats. Heero doesn't move. She doesn't blink. She's not trying to stare any of them down this time. Actually, she's not looking at any of them at all, but instead gazing over all of their heads. She has nothing to say to these men anymore.

"Yes, well," another member speaks up, once it becomes obvious that Heero's not going to reply, "we of the board have come to the unanimous decision that your actions, while suspect, were not suspicious enough to claim as negligent, or to warrant dismissal from the Preventers Corps."

While Heero's a little surprised that they aren't going to fire her on the spot, she gives no response other than a slow blink. Again, they seem to be waiting for her to say something, but she gives them nothing. Is she supposed to thank them for being so generous? There's no chance of that happening.

After an even longer pause than before, while the air becomes thick with the board's obvious curiosity at her continued silence, someone eventually continues. "Miss Yuy, because the board finds you suspect, we are putting an official reprimand in your file." That decision is just plain petty. It accomplishes nothing, since Une won't care, but it will still be a mark against her.

"We also strongly recommend that you relocate to another office, or to another department within this one. Either way, we're going to insist on you permanently resigning from fieldwork."

If anything was going to make her speak, that would be it. Heero, while she can and has done IT work and surveillance before, is a field agent, and that's where her strengths lie. Une's going to be furious at this purposeful blocking of Heero's career.

Their announcement doesn't make Heero speak up, though. She's not furious, only impatient for them to finish talking. When she still remains quiet, there's finally some visible frustration apparent on some of their faces. Did they think that she would verbally protest their decision? Maybe they hoped she would so that they could 'reprimand' her some more, and treat her like she's a child who's tried to eat her dessert before dinner.

"Miss Yuy, do you understand the board's decision today?"

Why wouldn't she? Heero would assume the question is rhetorical, but the looks they're giving her clearly indicate that they're waiting for an answer this time, no matter how long it takes. Eventually, if only to get out of the room faster, Heero gives them a brief nod of acknowledgement.

They clearly don't want to accept that as an answer, but there's no way that they can actually force her to talk after she's made it obvious that she's not going to. Heero still hasn't lowered her line of sight to look any of them in the eyes, and she's not going to do that either. None of them deserve her attention anymore.

They never did to begin with. Heero's just pleased that she's finally realized this.

"Is there anything you'd like to say now that we've given you our decision?" Some of them are rustling papers, while some are just shifting in their chairs. They look like nothing more than schoolboys who have just been scolded for some misdeed. It's highly amusing that they're the ones who look chastised instead of her.

No, Heero doesn't have any questions. She gets their message loud and clear. They don't have enough evidence to fire her without an appeal taking her side, but they still want to bring her down a peg or two, so they've taken away her ability to ever work in a position of command again.

Heero hopes they get her message also. That they're clearly wasting their time by trying to intimidate her. Heero doesn't give a shit what they think about her, or what they do to try and mess up her life. She doesn't feel like a failure, or at all ashamed of her performance during that last mission, no matter how horribly it turned out. Heero saved someone's life that morning, and didn't get herself killed, and she's going to have to learn to be content with that outcome.

Finally, when Heero makes no indication that she's going to ask any questions, the man sitting in the center of them scowls. "You're dismissed then, Miss Yuy."

Heero turns around and walks out before they can say anything else. There's some muttering behind her, and Heero focuses her hearing just long enough to understand that she's confused the hell out of them all. Heero smirks as she leaves the room.

She might have been channeling Trowa just a little bit while she was standing there in front of them. He's the only person she knows who wouldn't react to their provocations, no matter how annoying the board members were trying to be.

Sally's waiting for her, and Heero raises an eyebrow in surprise. She didn't tell Sally the time of her meeting beforehand, which means that Une told her. Sally gestures wordlessly to the conference room, no doubt wanting to know their verdict.

Heero shrugs. "I'm off fieldwork."

A hiss escapes Sally before she can contain it, and the look she sends at the closed doors is poisonous. "Damn it."

Pretty much. "They also recommended that I switch to another office." She starts walking down the hallway, and Sally follows her.

Her friend's quiet, and when Heero looks over to see why, Sally's eyeing her back in obvious interest. "You're taking this awfully calmly."

Heero nods. "I already assumed they'd say something along those lines."

At that, Sally sighs. "Me too, but I was hoping I was wrong. Une's going to be pissed."

She is. Heero almost wants to visit Une right now and tell her, but it would be a pointless trip. No doubt someone will call Une and inform her of the board's decision before the elevator could even travel up to Une's floor. As it is, Heero pushes the down button to leave the building.

Sally stands beside her. She's waiting to hear the real reason why Heero's not more upset, of course. Heero shakes her head. "I just don't care anymore. Whatever I do now, it won't be because of them." There's more that she could say, but she's leaving the building and Sally's staying. Her friend has work to do, no matter how much she clearly wants to tag along with Heero instead.

"Well," Sally says, "I'm happy to hear that you're not going to let them bully you, but I still wish you didn't have to make such a big decision at all."

Heero's not upset about it anymore. If all that's been holding her back from quitting before is inertia and fear, then she's been just as trapped as Relena all of this time and never even realized it. Figuring that out, and coming up with a plan to change her circumstances, is worth being put through this ridiculous investigation. "It's over now," is all she says, though.

Heero leaves it at that, and Sally looks sad but thoughtful as Heero leaves her behind in the elevator. She takes a deep breath, and notes that her heart rate is steady and her shoulders are relaxed. Heero smiles. Internal Affairs tried to intimidate her, to scare her, but they failed.

Heero's more than ready to move forward from this chapter in her life.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Heero thinks about her future for a few more days, trying to ignore the boredom and not let it decide her mind for her. Her apartment gets a floor-to-ceiling cleaning that's probably more extensive than the one she did when she first moved in, but that still only takes two days.

Eventually, Une asks for a meeting with her to discuss what Internal Affairs said, which Heero assumes means her leisure time is up. It doesn't matter. She already knows what she's going to tell Une.

"I'm quitting."

Heero's sitting in front of Une's desk, again drinking a cup of the really excellent coffee that Une hoards. She'll miss that, if nothing else. No, that's not true. Heero might be upset with Preventers in general right now, and she definitely doesn't want to continue working here, or at another branch office branch, any longer, but she's enjoyed her time here. There's a part of her now that's very nostalgic about leaving.

Une's fingers are folded under her chin, and she's looking back at Heero calmly. Her expression doesn't change after Heero's declaration, so like she thought, Une was already aware of what Heero was going to say. Heero takes another sip of her coffee and waits.

Eventually, Une sits back with a sigh. "You're sure." It's not a question.

Heero nods. She wouldn't have said it out loud if she wasn't positive about quitting. "I've already emailed the Department of Human Resources about terminating my account, and I've sent you a letter of resignation that you can put in my file."

She's covered her bases, not that she's worried about Une trying to make her stay. She's sure they're both aware that this is the best possible outcome. Well, maybe not for Une. She likely wants Heero to stay on with Preventers, even in a limited capacity, but Une also has to know that Heero can't be happy here any longer.

She might be, for a little bit. Eventually, though, Heero would end up back in front of Une and quitting just because she's that desperate for something to do. Better that she just quit now.

Une stretches, and reaches beside her for a file. "Well, you seem to have everything handled, not that I expected anything less." What follows after that is some repetitive signing of paperwork and Heero handing in her badge and Preventers-issued weapon. It's no loss to her; she has plenty of others - both legal, and others that are decidedly not.

Still, this is the point of no return. Even though Heero's sure that Une would let her come back at any time, Heero doesn't want to deal with everyone else's reactions if she did that. She's not coming back. This part of her life is over now.

At least Heero doesn't regret her decision already. After even more paperwork signing, Une finally relaxes back in her chair and smiles at Heero. "Well, you're officially a civilian again. What are you going to do now?"

Heero shrugs as she stands up. "I'm not sure yet." She has some ideas, and wants to talk to a few people and get their opinions, but she'll figure it out.

Une laughs. " _That_ I am surprised at. Usually, you're so certain about everything."

Allowing herself a small smile in return, Heero starts walking away. "I'll probably be around for a little while, just in case."

"That's comforting," Une admits. "Thank you, Heero."

As Heero leaves the office, she nods at Une in response and farewell both. When she passes through the outer office, Agent Kowoski raises his head as she passes. "Good-bye, Agent Yuy. You'll be missed."

Heero's surprised, but pleased. "Thanks."

She's in a surprisingly good mood when she finally leaves the building. Several other agents had stopped and asked if she was coming back to work or not, and when Heero admitted that she had just quit, they expressed dismay and displeasure. Honest upset, not false sympathy, which was really good to hear, although it didn't change Heero's mind in the slightest.

Perhaps Heero should have expected the delivery of flowers in front of her door when she gets back to her apartment. They're light pink carnations, and Heero picks them up and smiles as she lets herself in. The card with them says 'Congratulations!', and though it isn't signed, Heero knows they're from Relena.

She's glad they also came in a big vase, because Heero's almost positive that she doesn't own any herself. She sets it down in the middle of her kitchen table and just stands there for a minute, admiring how the flowers actually do brighten up the room like people claim they can.

Shaking her head, Heero sends Relena a text thanking her, and then sits down on her couch with a sigh. She's not a Preventers agent anymore. The idea of Heero being a civilian is amusing, but that's what she is now, technically.

Well then, time for Heero to decide who she wants to become now. Maybe she'll actually buy that tree. Or maybe she'll move back to space, or at least travel for a while and use the vacation to figure out what she's going to do next. Being on the move always seems to help Heero clear her head.

Whatever she ends up doing, Heero looks forward to the change. It's far past time.


End file.
